Temari and Kankuro were worried that Gaara would lose control, which would force them to start the plan ahead of schedule.
The Sand Village's plan was to have Gaara undergo full Tailed Beast transformation within the Hidden Leaf Village and use a Tailed Beast Bomb to obliterate it.
Although the Leaf Village was vast, most of its population was concentrated in the main district, which spanned only a few kilometers.
A single Tailed Beast Bomb detonated in the heart of the village would be enough to destroy most of the main district. That was the Sand Village's strategy.
This was precisely why every major ninja village sought to acquire at least one Tailed Beast.
Individually, Tailed Beasts weren't necessarily unbeatable—many Kage-level powerhouses could capture them without much trouble.
However, their real power lay in their ability to function as living artillery. A single Tailed Beast Bomb could annihilate everything within several kilometers. On the battlefield, they were devastating weapons.
If Gaara lost control now, the Leaf Village would be on high alert, and the plan could fail.
After all, the Leaf had its own elite ninja, and taking down a One-Tail wasn't beyond their capabilities.
Temari and Kankuro were deeply anxious.
Gaara, meanwhile, was furious.
He had coughed up blood—someone had actually made him bleed.
Even Lee, who had beaten him badly before, hadn't managed to make him bleed.
Yet Sasuke had done it instantly.
Bleeding was one thing, but Gaara hadn't even been able to react to Sasuke's movements. Worse yet, his body couldn't withstand Sasuke's taijutsu.
Gaara raised a trembling hand to his eye, his expression turning deranged.
"He made me bleed… Ahhh—!!"
"Blood… I'll kill you… I'll kill you!"
Gaara had lost it.
Temari, Kankuro, and Baki immediately realized the situation was spiraling out of control.
"Gaara, calm down!"
They shouted from the stands, but Gaara could no longer hear them.
At this moment, the only thought in his mind was to kill Sasuke.
Sasuke, watching Gaara's madness unfold, tensed up.
He could feel Gaara's chakra surging wildly.
"This… is the power of a Tailed Beast?"
"What terrifying chakra…"
Even Sasuke was shaken by the immense energy radiating from Gaara.
Gaara's cold, crazed eyes locked onto him, his mind slipping further.
"I'll kill you… I'll kill you…"
He muttered the words over and over.
Seeing this, Sasuke's expression turned serious.
Without hesitation, he activated his Sharingan.
The moment his Sharingan flared to life, the overwhelming pressure he felt lessened considerably.
But the sight of those spinning red eyes only pushed Gaara further into madness.
"So that's the Sharingan… What an infuriating pair of eyes… I'll kill you!"
With that, Gaara began his partial Tailed Beast transformation.
Shukaku's limbs started growing from his body.
A massive raccoon-like arm emerged, and the surrounding sand shaped itself into a giant claw, slamming down toward Sasuke.
The enormous sand-covered arm, over ten meters long, came crashing down.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The entire arena trembled under the impact.
Genma Shiranui's eyes widened in shock.
"What kind of power is this?"
"Should I stop the match?"
He hesitated, uncertain of what to do next.
This tournament was conducted under a life-or-death contract. Unless one side admitted defeat or was rendered incapable of fighting, the match could not be stopped.
Genma Shiranui was conflicted as he glanced at Sasuke, trying to determine whether Sasuke was willing to surrender.
However, Sasuke didn't even spare him a glance.
Despite the immense pressure he felt, he was still determined to push his limits.
"Let me test the power of a Tailed Beast."
Seeing that Sasuke intended to continue, Kakashi grew concerned.
"What is Sasuke thinking? Gaara is a Jinchūriki, and he's already lost control. Is Sasuke really planning to keep fighting?"
Kakashi believed Sasuke should forfeit.
This was no longer a normal match—once a Jinchūriki went berserk, even a Jōnin would struggle to handle them.
Let alone Sasuke.
Guy also looked serious.
"Kakashi, it seems like we need to be ready to step in at any moment."
Kakashi kept his eyes fixed on Sasuke's back.
Sakura clenched her fists tightly, watching him anxiously.
She could clearly see that Gaara had already gone berserk, but since Sasuke hadn't backed down, she couldn't bring herself to call for the match to stop either.
Standing beside her, Naruto muttered to himself,
"So this… is what I look like when I lose control?"
"If Yoruha hadn't been there back then… I probably would've killed Sasuke, Sakura, and even Kakashi-sensei."
"The power of a Tailed Beast… is truly terrifying."
"Can I really control this power?"
"Good thing Yoruha helped suppress me… Does Gaara have someone to suppress him too?"
For the first time, Naruto felt a pang of sympathy for Gaara.
Though the sight of a berserk Jinchūriki terrified him, he knew that when he lost control, Yoruha had been there to stop him.
But Gaara—would the Sand Village even try to suppress him?
What Naruto didn't know was that in the past, the Sand Village did have someone who could restrain Gaara when he lost control—his father, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
But that person was gone now.
Since neither the Third Hokage nor the "Fourth Kazekage" had issued an order to stop the match, Genma had no choice but to let it continue.
The Third Hokage saw that Sasuke still wanted to challenge himself, so he didn't stop the fight.
As for Orochimaru, he intended to use the chaos Gaara was creating to assassinate the Third Hokage.
Thus, for now, no one intervened.
Sasuke watched as the massive sand-covered arm came crashing toward him.
He didn't dare take it head-on—dodging was his only option.
"Boom!"
The gigantic sand arm slammed into the ground where Sasuke had just stood, carving out a crater several meters wide.
The sheer force of the impact shook the entire stadium.
As soon as Sasuke moved away, several sand tendrils lashed toward him like whips.
Sasuke had no choice but to keep dodging.
"Snap!"
The sand whips struck the ground, leaving deep gashes over ten meters long.
Seeing Sasuke constantly evading, Gaara sneered.
"Is that all you can do? Buzzing around like a fly?"
"Uchiha Sasuke, no matter how much you struggle, I will kill you! Heh… heh… heh!"
After dodging several times, Sasuke frowned.
"If this keeps up, I'll run out of chakra. I need to end this in a single strike. If this drags on, I'll just get exhausted."
With that decision made, Sasuke immediately formed hand seals.
He poured a vast amount of chakra into his eyes.
The two tomoe in his Sharingan spun wildly.
His vision became sharper than ever, and his dynamic perception reached its peak.
"Lightning Release: Chidori!"
Crackling lightning surged from Sasuke's right hand.
"Zzzzt—"
The piercing screech of Chidori echoed through the entire stadium.
That was the downside of Chidori—its distinct sound made it impossible to conceal.
But it was also its defining feature.
Guy was utterly stunned.
Not just him—the Konoha 12, apart from Neji (who wasn't present) and Sakura and Naruto (who already knew), were all shocked.
"So this is Sasuke's trump card?!"
"He's so strong…"
Shikamaru couldn't help but exclaim.
He knew Sasuke was powerful, but he hadn't expected him to have mastered such a high-level jutsu.
This wasn't something a genin should be capable of.
Even Orochimaru, sitting beside the Third Hokage, was amazed.
"Sasuke… has already grown this strong?"
"My desire to make him my vessel… has only increased."
Meanwhile, the Third Hokage's eyes were filled with satisfaction.
"This… is the power of legacy."